resident evil 4 review

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By GavW on 15th Dec 2006

GavW's Ratings

Addiction Level	8/10
Graphics	9/10
Multi-player	No
Value for money	9/10
Overall value	8/10
GavW's recommendation

Good Points

Graphics
Aiming weapons
Choice of weapons
Value for money
Extras

Bad Points

Not a big fan of the merchant
A bit more interaction from Ashley would of been nice

General Comments

I originally bought this game as a means of saving a few quid on Amazon's delivery charges. A Resident Evil game for only £12 which had excellent reviews on the Gamecube encouraged me to add this game to my collection.

I have to say I was not disappointed. The game has evolved significantly from its predecessors. At first I was skeptic of the camera positioning. I like to be able to see everything around my character much like in the older titles. I have never been much of a fan of the 'over the shoulder' style camera. This game manages to pull this off impressively however, in my opinion. The right analogue stick is extremely useful in this respect, allowing the rotation of the camera 90 degrees either side of the character, with the ability to spin 180 degrees with the tap of a button.

I think the right balance has been met in terms of gameplay also. The game is mostly action-oriented as opposed to puzzle-solving, although I think that the balance between the two is about right. Fans of the originals might have enjoyed a bit more on the puzzle side of things but I have always found Resident Evil's puzzles to be quite tedious.

The choice of weapons available is another plus point in my opinion. I particularly enjoy using the rifles, planting a shot straight at the head of a completely unaware enemy from a distance and having all his mates in the area panic is always quite amusing :)

The introduction of Ashley adds a nice twist to the gameplay in terms of having to protect her and taking out enemies who have her over their shoulders. She could be a tad more helpful though I think, I was not impressed when an enemy managed to kill me from behind when I had the ever-unhelpful Ashley stood behind me. A scream of 'Behind You!' would of been most helpful. A minor irritation however.

One thing that I am not too keen on however is the money aspect and buying weapons / upgrades from the merchant. How this guy manages to stay alive and pop up everywhere in an area infested with unquestionable evil is somewhat of a mystery to me. Maybe he is quite proficient in the use of his weapons? However you wouldn't think it, in the face of danger this guy just stands around and admires. Trading an elegant chessboard for countless Pesetas within a Resident Evil game just doesn't cut it for me. I did find it quite entertaining however when I accidentally shot the guy with my TMP playing as Ada when I was overcome with evil fiends.

Which brings me to another plus point. After successfully completing the game countless extras are opened up. These are not just limited to your standard 'you can now play in expert mode' type extras either. (although that is an option) The extras in RE4 are almost separate games in themselves. The 'separate ways' extra whereby you take control of Ada playing through the game as she saw it is an excellent addition to the game. The 'Assignment Ada' and 'Mercenaries' extras are also entertaining.

To conclude, I believe that RE4 is an absolute must for any Resident Evil fan out there. I would also recommend this game to your average gamer as I have spent many hours on this game and I am by no means a hardcore gamer. For only £12, there is no reason not to.

Total Respect: 0